These four sister ships were the first modern battlecruisers in the Japanese arsenal. They were designed by Britain's Sir George Thurston, and strongly influenced the design of the forthcoming Tiger-class battlecruisers. Kongo was actually built by Vickers (and was the last Japanese capital ship to be built outside of Japan), while the remaining three were built in Japanese yards. During the inter-war years, all of them were upgraded in terms of propulsion and protection, and were re-rated as battleships. They were useful ships, fast and well-armed, but even after their upgrade their protection left much to be desired, as Kirishima discovered much to her cost at the hands of U.S.S. Washington off of Savo Island.